Success?
Xiaolie was her master’s personal maid, although she dressed more like a butler. Her fierce crimson eyes alone would be enough to deter most people with even a vague sense of observation. These were the eyes of the supposedly extinct Chen clan, and even if one couldn’t recognise them as such, they would certainly feel the profound and ancient weapon intent hidden behind them…
That was only for those with a brain, however. The no-name bourgeois who thought it a good idea to approach her master’s wives lacked the brain capacity to notice something as simple as this. Only a fool would see a group of what they believed to be all women, dressed all in very different styles, accompanied by a maid, and believe that they weren’t taken. It should have been obvious at a glance that such a group wasn’t one to mess with.
Yet, the bourgeois had made that exact mistake, and he had then failed to recognise how unusual it was for a Foppoof to not only proudly admit to being one, but to admit to having a husband. All of these signs together should have been a reason for him to turn around and swiftly leave.
Once again, he did not make the obviously correct decision. This forced Xiaolie to take action. Compared to her master, she had been gentle and merciful. Anoteros might seem quite forgiving, but that was only because he always looked at the bigger picture and chose to usually appear as a kind man in public. He also understood that some offences were truly not worth caring about.
However, had he been there when that bourgeois had started insulting Linmin? That man would be dead. He would have been torn apart and shredded to set an example. Xiaolie had let him off with only a grievous injury... She knew her place as a maid. Without her master around, it was best to play it safe, even if she knew well that Edrick would have allowed her to kill this man had he been present.
In any case, Xiaolie was here to ensure the safety of her master’s wives, so she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by unnecessary thoughts… Ever since she had been dominated, her strength had increased. Even if the script she used to be the center of was now shattered, she retained many benefits of having been a protagonist.
Her strength was great, and her cultivation talent was ungodly. Her master had even been so kind as to allow her to keep the weapon artefact of the Chen clan… Even without the script backing her up, she felt powerful. In fact, she believed that being dominated by her master had opened up the way to even greater strength than what the script could have given her.
His elixir was simply to die for. It was a miraculous cultivation resource.
In fact, she was shamefully itching for someone to do something stupid so that she could have an excuse to fight. Unfortunately, her display earlier had properly set the tone, and everyone present was deathly afraid of doing something wrong.
It was to the point that the guests all made sure to stay several meters away from her from sheer fear. Only one person dared to approach her, and it was Indoramus, the host of this party and the man who had sent the invitation in the first place.
“Miss Xiaolie, right?”
He had done his homework. He even knew the name of a maid.
“Yes, is there something you want to tell me, Sir?”
Politeness was one of the core principles of being a maid. Maids and servants always needed to be beacons of good manners, even if their interlocutor was a stinky rat. As long as said rat wasn’t breaking residence rules or otherwise disrespecting members of the residence in some way, a maid would remain perfectly polite.
Indoramus gave a slight bow.
“I merely wanted to discuss with you”
Xiaolie felt like she could guess his intentions, but she didn’t brush him off.
“Go ahead, Sir”
Indoramus might be a small name at the moment, but amidst the invitations that Edrick had received recently, he had placed Indoramus’s above the rest. In fact, he would have come himself if not for Chang Sheng’s visit.
The reason why was very simple… Whilst Indoramus might be a nobody right now, he was showing clear signs of ascension.
The merchant was younger than his moustache made him seem, and he had only inherited the family business and wealth two years prior. And yet, he had already started several businesses in totally different sectors, and built them up to an impressive level of competitiveness by aggressively filling niches that had been overlooked, and also by combining his businesses together.
Xiaolie wasn’t too clear on the details. Shu or Yaling would definitely know more, but from her understanding, Edrick was indeed at least planning to discuss with this man about business. In one part, because Indoramus was showing himself to have a bright future, and also because helping a small business owner elevate himself would definitely be a good look for her master.
…She might not be very business-oriented, but Xiaolie made sure to at least know what her master was planning so that she could do her best to help, or at least not get in the way.
‘How can I approach this?’
The maid couldn’t just shut Indoramus off, but she couldn’t make any business decisions herself. She also knew that none of the wives would want to do so either, as they didn’t believe themselves knowledgeable enough to make a good deal.
Xiaolie thus began thinking of what to do, all the while listening to Indoramus, but also paying close attention to her master’s wives.
Indoramus mostly owned farming businesses and transport businesses. He used the latter to import and export products, with the exports including harvests of the farms he owned. He had proven quite shrewd and cunning in finding unique roads that he could use to avoid bandits, and also shortcuts that allowed him to be impressively fast in carrying goods.
Of course, such speed was only achievable because he didn’t make big transports. He had gone to specialise purely in speed, and benefited greatly from making deliveries and buying from people in need of things swiftly.
The bigger competitors didn’t really care for him because of this, as he occupied a part of the market that they completely ignored in favour of more stable deliveries. Indoramus was using these quick deliveries to people willing to pay more than normal to rapidly accumulate wealth, allowing him to create several low-income businesses that could stay afloat together.
It was quite ingenious indeed, as evidenced by the fact that he was rising upward and could even waste money organising parties like this without much issue.
“However, I know very well that my way of doing things is inherently risky, which is why I would greatly appreciate partnering up with Sir Anoteros. Even just his name being attached to my business would offer incredible security to me”
Xiaolie nodded.
“I see. I will keep in mind all that you have told me. You may send information such as your benefits and the full list of your businesses via letter. I will inform my Master of everything”
“Thank you so much!”
The merchant knew that this was the best he could get from Xiaolie, so he didn’t push any further.
‘Well, he does have a good head on his shoulders. Master should definitely quite like him’